I am hoping some of you can make suggestions or direct me to blogs/links to some foods that kids love to eat. I am planning the menu for our Brownie camp this year and am drawing a blank for foods that kids like and are suitable for the longest list of allergies I've ever had to deal with. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

So far we have: fruit kebabs (melon, apple, pear, pineapple, grapes), Enjoy Life cookies and No Nuttin granola bars for snacks; Enjoy Life cereal with various milks for breakfast, pancakes for breakfast another day, wraps or sandwiches (maybe) for lunch, and Tinkyada pasta with homemade marinara sauce for supper.

We're struggling with the lunch options because finding wraps or bread that is dairy/egg/soy/nut-free is proving to be very tricky. (other than making it myself, which is out of the question with 30 people at camp and my very busy schedule)

Soup maybe? But what if the weather is hot... the kids won't want to eat soup. I don't know too many kids who will eat salad, stir fry, or beans. What about tacos - do they make dairy/egg/soy/nut-free taco shells?

I'm also vegan and the cook, so anything overly meaty is out. Stores near me are: Save on Foods, Sobeys, Safeway, and Superstore.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edited to add: beans/legumes, peas, and lentils are also on the list now...

_________________anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals

Last edited by spacecanada on Fri May 24, 2013 11:51 am, edited 2 times in total.

It's hard to findbread or wrP that don't contain soy. Could you ask the parents what they use?
You can always make couscous or bulgar. Equal amounts or boiling water and grain. Cover and let sit 15 minutes for couscous or 1 hour for bulgar. You can experiment with flavoured liquids.
What about baked apples? Core the apple, place butter ( or alternative), brown sugar and sprinkle of cinnamon into the cavety. Wrap in foil and place in fire.

That is a long list! I agree with Susan - ask the parents avoiding soy and dairy what brands of bread and wraps they buy. We are avoiding many of the same allergens, but the soy is only certain forms and the egg/dairy is mild so we eat may contains. What about Daiya cheese alternative for something like Mac and cheese?? What if you make sandwiches ahead of time, and they have different fillings for different kids? I know that's not ideal, but avoiding trace amounts of dairy and egg and soy is nearly impossible, hence why we eat traces of all three. Sometimes I do jam sandwiches, which I know is not nutritious, but on whole wheat bread plus a vegetable, it's not terrible. . . Good for you try to accommodate everyone!

Well, the parents of kids with these allergens are giving me brands that contain their child's allergens. I cannot bring myself to give a kid with soy allergy bread that actually contains soy. I'd probably have a panic attack in doing so. Daiya is out because I've just found out the soy/dairy allergic child is also allergic to peas, lentils, and legumes. (We have other kids with soy/dairy allergies that can have Daiya.)

(Speaking of which, I am totally having a grilled Daiya cheese sandwich for lunch! Thanks for the idea.)

I'm going to check the grocery store today to see if I can find taco shells without soy or dairy in them. At least we can do refried beans (for all but that one kid), fried ground chicken (not me), shredded lettuce, tomato, Daiya for all but one kid, and salsa. That, or that one kid gets a taco salad with corn tortilla chips (I have corn-only tortilla chips.)

Any other snack food suggestions?

_________________anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals

On a square of tinfoil, place sliced potatoes, veggies and add whatever meat you choose. Salt and pepper, basically your choice of seasonings and fold one corner over to make a triangle. Twist the edges over several times to make a strong seal. Then repeat the tinfoil process so it is sealed well. Place the food onto the hot coals and cook for 40 minutes or so. There are tons of these recipes on line.

With the current fire ban (despite recent rain), we're shying away from things that need to be cooked over/in the fire. We still have lots of aluminium foil, just in case.

I did most of the dry goods shopping today. I think we are good. Fruits and veggies shopping will be on Thursday.

Tortilla crisps and hard taco shells were easy to find as corn only - two of three brands I looked at were safe. I couldn't find garlic/red pepper/chilli-free salsa, so that one kid will have to go without - there will be six other safe salad ingredients to choose from.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions. I think we're going to have a great camp this coming weekend.

_________________anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals

You could do some sort of burgers you assemble yourself in advance (pork?) and instead of a bun use the plain round rice cakes. We also use those as pizza crusts when necessary (they are actually decent when softened)

A big batch of self made frozen chicken fingers - maybe with some suitable dipping sauce

Pancakes - you can easily dig up a safe recipe with substitutions - topped with maple syrup disguises anything.

Camp went great! The kids loved the food and one kid even asked us 'is everything we are eating healthy' and we were happy to tell her that it was. She replied with 'it's soooo good!' I love kids.

Taco salad was probably the biggest hit of the whole weekend. Kids were literally jumping up and down when we told them what was for lunch. Who knew...

Another highlight was spaghetti that night. Not so much the spaghetti itself, but the 'Monk's meal' twist we added. If they talked or giggled their utensils would be taken away and they would have to eat with their hands. If they talked or giggled again they had to eat without their hands. They were way too serious and quiet at first so I stirred the pot and all the girls started giggling. We had spaghetti sauce everywhere: in hair, ears, noses, and all over their faces. Super fun!

Thanks everyone for the tips.

_________________anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals

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